--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stopped performing because I don't have…" description: "\"I stopped performing because I don't have the temperament of a performer. You have to want to do the same thing over and over again. Once I got it righ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/tom-lehrer-3442_after_i-stopped-performing-because-i-don-t-hav_1603519.jpg" --- # I stopped performing because I don't have the temperament… ![“I stopped performing because I don't have the temperament of a performer. You have to want to do the same thing over and over again. Once I got it right, I didn't want to do it again. I always use the analogy of a novelist who has to read his novel in public night after night. I just didn't want…” quote by Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/tom-lehrer-3442_after_i-stopped-performing-because-i-don-t-hav_1603519.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/tom-lehrer-3442_after_i-stopped-performing-because-i-don-t-hav_1603519.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/tom-lehrer-3442_after_i-stopped-performing-because-i-don-t-hav_1603519.jpg) > “I stopped performing because I don't have the temperament of a performer. You have to want to do the same thing over and over again. Once I got it right, I didn't want to do it again. I always use the analogy of a novelist who has to read his novel in public night after night. I just didn't want to do it.” [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker lacks the desire for repeated performance, seeing it as draining rather than rewarding. **In simple terms:** No desire for repeated performance. Key Takeaway Accept that not all roles suit you. Themes self‑awareness performance motivation Mood reflective neutral Type advice personal When to use this quote - career choice - creative projects - personal limits - repetitive tasks Key Concepts repetition artist burnout novelists public reading Questions to Reflect On - What activities do you repeat without enthusiasm? - How can you rekindle interest in a needed you love? A Different Perspective Even a single successful performance can become tedious if passion wanes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Analogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogy/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Didn Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-want/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [His](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Performer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performer/) [Performer Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performer-want-1280474/) [Performing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performing/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped/) [Stopped Performing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped-performing-6102735/) [Temperament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperament/) [Temperament Performer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperament-performer-5325202/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [I don't have the temperament of a performer, and I certainly couldn't do it every night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-don-t-have-the-temperament-of-a-performer-and-i-certainly-couldn-t/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [As a performer, I want to push my boundaries and try different roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jackson/as-a-performer-i-want-to-push-my-boundaries-and-try-different-roles/) [Amy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jackson/) > [As a performer, you want your audience to have as much fun as you are having on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-kakkar/as-a-performer-you-want-your-audience-to-have-as-much-fun-as-you-are/) [Neha Kakkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-kakkar/) > [I'm not running after glamorous roles, honestly. I'm a performer and want to perform instead of standing like a mannequin wearing a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-sharma/i-m-not-running-after-glamorous-roles-honestly-i-m-a-performer-and/) [Nia Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-sharma/) > [You have to be willing to be a live performer, if you want to make money as an independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rosenfield/you-have-to-be-willing-to-be-a-live-performer-if-you-want-to-make/) [Ben Rosenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rosenfield/) > ['Calamity Jane' inspired me to be a performer. 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Rising to success requires adding and alternating starters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/yeast-is-to-flour-as-action-is-to-ambition-rising-to-success-requires/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [One good analogy is worth three hours discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-good-analogy-is-worth-three-hours-discussion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Memory in the mind of man can adapt to the worst conditions. I'll give you an example, an analogy of sorts: Each night I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/memory-in-the-mind-of-man-can-adapt-to-the-worst-conditions-i-ll-give/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [“One use of the argument from analogy is found in response to the question of what or who created the universe. Some have argued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-klein/one-use-of-the-argument-from-analogy-is-found-in-response-to-the/) [Daniel Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-klein/) ## More by Tom Lehrer > [Plagiarize, plagiarize, / Let no man's work evade your eyes, / Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, / Don't shade your eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/plagiarize-plagiarize-let-no-man-s-work-evade-your-eyes-remember-why/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [When someone makes a move Of which we don't approve, Who is it that always intervenes? U.N. and O.A.S., They have their place, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/when-someone-makes-a-move-of-which-we-don-t-approve-who-is-it-that/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't solicit for your sister, it's not nice. Unless you get a good percentage of her price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-solicit-for-your-sister-it-s-not-nice-unless-you-get-a-good/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/it-is-a-sobering-thought-that-when-mozart-was-my-age-he-had-been-dead/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [“I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-am-never-forget-the-day-i-first-meet-the-great-lobachevsky-in-one/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Counting in octal is just likst counting in decimal--if you don't use your thumbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/counting-in-octal-is-just-likst-counting-in-decimal-if-you-don-t-use/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Disclaimer: If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny under oath I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/disclaimer-if-anyone-disagrees-with-anything-i-say-i-am-quite/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't write naughty words on the wall if you can't spell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-write-naughty-words-on-the-wall-if-you-can-t-spell/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-don-t-want-to-satirise-george-bush-and-his-puppeteers-i-want-to/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [San Francisco is a city of twenty-something millionaire white kids named Doug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/san-francisco-is-a-city-of-twenty-something-millionaire-white-kids/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [On Christmas day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to cheat him all the more The other three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/on-christmas-day-you-can-t-get-sore-your-fellow-man-you-must-adore/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Be prepared, and be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/be-prepared-and-be-careful-not-to-do-your-good-deeds-when-there-s-no/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [There's something mathematically satisfying about music: notes fit together and harmony and all that. And mathematics has to do with abstractions and making connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/there-s-something-mathematically-satisfying-about-music-notes-fit/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) [Explore all 130 Tom Lehrer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## More After quotes > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/) [Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) [Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/) > [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. 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